Chapter 12: The Boulder Barrage

For the fourth time that day Equestria's army was waiting to see what Grifforia would send after them next. They had handily defeated three waves of soldiers while sustaining very few injuries none of which were major or fatal. The morale was at an all time high when they had realized that they had defeated the third wave without anypony being hurt at all. They felt like this war was going to be over soon and they would definitely be victorious. Gilda however was feeling much different than the others.

While the griffon couldn't deny that Equestria was doing an excellent job of fending off Grifforia's forces, she was trying to keep herself from getting overconfident. Gilda didn't want to get cocky out of fear that such an action would cause Equestria to be defeated. Gilda also knew that while the first three waves had been beaten with little to no difficulty the same would not be true for what was in store. Gilda wasn't just worried about the secret weapon that Grifforia had in store for them, she was also very nervous about seeing The Boulder Barrage.

The Boulder Barrage was one of the tactics that Gilda was most afraid of and for good reason. That single move had won Grifforia a number of battles during the first war fifty years ago. It had caused widespread destruction, injury, and even death at times. Gilda knew that this attack would be highly difficult to counter even with a good plan. Gilda had a plan but it was incredibly risky. Then again anything involving Pinkie Pie's party cannons was naturally risky.

Gilda's plan was to use Pinkie Pie's party cannons to launch giant water balloons at the griffons before they could drop their boulders on Equestria's army. While water balloons might have seemed like a weak weapon, Gilda knew that all griffons had a natural fear of water so using them would be highly effective. When the water balloons hit, the griffons would most likely drop their boulders at which point the unicorns would levitate them slowly downwards where the earth ponies would carry them off so that nopony would get injured and property damage would be kept to a minimum. However this plan was incredibly risky since Gilda needed to fire the cannons at the absolute perfect moment.

The brown and white griffon's golden yellow eyes scanned the skies as she waited to see the unmistakeable sight of Grifforia's most dangerous formation. Grayback had his team of griffons at the ready in case any of Grifforia's troops managed to dodge Equestria's attack. Gilda waited in anxiety for the griffons to begin their attack. This would be a very important part of the war. Preventing The Boulder Barrage from being successful could cause Grifforia to realize that this war was a lost cause and surrender. It was a very slim chance but it was a chance nonetheless.

The ponies of Equestria waited in silence as they tried to keep a grasp on their emotions. Despite their confidence, they knew that this attack was dangerous and not something to be taken lightly. They knew that The Boulder Barrage could cause some serious destruction and devastation to Ponyville as well as its citizens. All of them looked upwards towards the sky as they waited for the moment to arrive.

"Do ya think they're gonna give up G?" Rainbow Dash asked her best friend.

"Not a chance Dash." Gilda replied solemnly. "These guys wanna win and they won't back down. We're in for a fight and they're gonna give it to us."

Rainbow Dash nodded as she continued to gaze at the sky with her best friend. Pinkie Pie had already loaded all of her cannons with water balloons. She along with some others had been able to modify the cannons to increase their size as well as the power with which they would launch the projectiles. The cannons were now so large that a grown pony or even a griffon could fit inside of one relatively comfortably. The cannons were so powerful that even a muscular and heavy stallion like Big Macintosh could still be launched a respectable distance and height. Gilda was certain that the cannons would be able to take down the griffons but she was still nervous.

"Maybe they've chickened out." Lightning Dust suggested hopefully.

"And why would they do that?" Rarity asked.

"'Cause one of 'em's walking up to us right now." Lightning Dust replied.

The rest of them looked and saw that the daredevil was right. A lone griffon was walking up to them. He was a very muscular griffon with a dark brown body and a white feathered head with eyes the same color as Gilda's own eyes. He had an angry look on his face as he approached Equestria's army. Gilda's golden yellow eyes widened when she figured out who this griffon was.

The griffon approaching them was none other than her father.

"So are you mules going to give up yet?" he asked. "I'd rather not waste any time since we're going to destroy you no matter what."

"We're kickin' your tails!" Lightning Dust shouted.

"You're the one that should give up!" Rainbow Dash yelled fiercely.

The other ponies agreed with them as they glared at the griffon that stood before them. He looked through the crowds as if searching for someone in particular.

"Out of curiosity." he said. "Who's your general?"

"Me." Gilda said firmly as she shoved past her friends to glare at her father. The brown and white griffons stared at each other before Gilda's father broke out into laughter.

"You?" he asked in a shocked tone. "Well this'll be easier than I thought. You mules are in for it."

With that, he flew off and headed back to where he had come from. Gilda had one of the angriest looks anypony had ever seen on her face as she watched her father fly off. Then she looked upwards and noticed a massive group of griffons flying towards them. It didn't take long for her to realize that each and every one of them was carrying a very large boulder underneath them.

"Get ready guys!" Gilda shouted. "Here they come!"

Instantly every pony prepared themselves. The griffons and the pegasi were ready to take to the sky at a moment's notice. Rarity and the other unicorns kept their gazes locked on the boulders just like Applejack and the earth ponies did. Pinkie Pie had made sure that her cannons were ready as she stood by a switch that would fire them all at once.

"Let's take 'em down!" Rainbow Dash said as Lightning Dust nodded in agreement.

"Not yet." Gilda warned. "We gotta wait until they get close."

They waited as the griffons drew nearer and nearer to Equestria's army. Everypony was now starting to feel incredibly nervous about the rapidly approaching half lion half eagle creatures. Why wasn't Gilda telling them to attack yet? What was she waiting for?

"Gilda Ah think we should do something." Applejack said nervously.

"I think we've waited long enough." Rarity agreed.

Gilda however ignored the duo as she instructed Pinkie Pie to wait. She wanted to make absolute sure that her timing was perfect. If she fired too soon then the griffons would easily dodge the cannons. But on the other end if she waited too long then her attacks would be too late. Gilda needed to wait for just the right moment. She might have been taking an awful risk but she knew that this was the best chance for Equestria. She tried to keep a calm mind as she waited for the griffons to be just the right distance away.

"G?' Rainbow Dash asked nervously.

Gilda ignored her best friend and kept her gaze locked on the griffons.

"G?" Rainbow Dash asked in a louder and slightly panicked tone.

Once again Gilda ignored her.

"G!" Rainbow Dash practically screamed.

Gilda's eyes widened as she realized that the time was finally perfect.

"FIRE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as her friends and army roared in response.

Immediately the large array of cannons fired the water balloons at their targets. The giant liquid filled balloons soared towards the griffons at blindingly fast speeds.

SPLASH!

The water balloons had been right on target as they collided with the group of griffons. The army of half lion half eagle creatures were so stunned that they had dropped their boulders to the ground. The very few that had managed to avoid the attack were quickly tackled by griffons and they dropped their ammunition as a result.

Quick as a flash Rarity signaled to her unicorns to slow the boulders down. Many horns began to glow and the rocks were surrounded by magical auras. The boulders' speed began to decrease and soon they were gently lowered to the ground at such a slow pace that they didn't even crack the cobblestone paths. After this had been done, Applejack led the earth ponies to the rocks and they carried them off to an empty section of town where they would be dealt with later. Gilda was completely stunned by what had happened. Her army had countered one of the most devastating attacks that Grifforia had at their disposal. Nopony had gotten injured and there wasn't even a bit's worth of damage done to any house or other property. Meanwhile a good distance away a griffon stood in a fit of extreme anger.

"This is ridiculous!" Gilda's father shouted furiously. "Those mules are blocking us at every turn. There's no way we're losing to them!"

"Patience dear." his wife said soothingly. "We still have one trick up our sleeves."

Gilda's father smiled maliciously as he heard this. There was still one more move they could make. And he was certain that this move would assure victory for Grifforia.

"I think it's time that Equestria saw how powerful we griffons are." the female griffon continued.

The two of them laughed maniacally as their secret weapon took to the heights of the skies and slowly flew through the air to deliver the surprise of a century to Equestria's population.